Monthly Archives: April 2018

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Here at Kitchn we’re big fans of what Editor-in-Chief Faith Durand calls “salad swag.” When you’re making a salad for lunch, you typically always have greens and maybe a dressing — but the fun stuff, the “swag,” is where things actually get interesting. Maybe you add some shrimp, avocado, and corn (like here). Or maybe it’s chicken, cherry tomatoes, and avocado slices (like here).Whatever you choose for “swag”, there’s no wrong answer, but playing around in the kitchen is always encouraged.

Today Trader Joe’s came out with its Fearless Flyer for May and I was so excited to see that the grocer is making this swag concept so much easier with a new Seedy Salad Almond Topper. In fact, it might just be the most exciting product I’ve seen at Trader Joe’s in some time.

Attention everyone! I have very important news and you’re going to want to be the first of your friends to know. Our collective cooking queen Ina Garten just announced on Instagram that she has a new cookbook coming out in October. The cookbook is called Cook Like a Pro named after, we’re guessing, her new cooking show on Food Network. Garten describes the book as being “full of delicious and accessible recipes, tips, and techniques for home cooks so you can cook with confidence.” Amen to that.

Roasting is one of my favorite ways to cook vegetables. I love how you just toss everything on a baking sheet, walk away, and come back to beautifully browned veggies that have so much more flavor than you would get with blanching or sautéing alone.

The most basic seasonings for roasted veggies are oil, salt, and pepper, but here are some other easy ways to flavor them if you want to make things a whole lot more interesting!

I have a no-fail formula for easy weeknight dinners: chicken + any veggie + my trusty sheet pan. Whether you go for skin-on or a boneless, skinless version, versatility is the name of the game when it comes to chicken thighs (or mild-mannered, lean breasts).

Toss the chicken and your vegetable of choice on a sheet pan and you have a one-pan meal that comes together in about 30 minutes, plus the promise of easy cleanup. From classic crispy chicken thighs to maple-mustard chicken, here are 10 easy chicken and vegetable sheet pan suppers to add to your meal plan.

If you ask me, big-batch recipes are where the slow cooker does its best work. With little to no extra effort on your part, it rewards you with meals you can stretch into leftover lunches or future dinners.

From chicken dinners to vegetarian stews, these 15 slow cooker recipes go big and reward you with plenty of leftovers.

It’s happened to all of us — while waiting for your prescription at the drugstore, you end up throwing a bunch of other stuff in your basket. Then when the cashier rings you up, you’re shocked by the high total (and insanely long receipt). And you wonder, Are there ever any good deals to be had from the drugstore?

My love of dill started rather recently when I made dill-infused vodka. I found that, compared to the overpowering taste of dill I ate in Scandinavian recipes growing up, when the herb was infused with vodka it provided a light pickle-y flavor that was a great addition to a classic martini. I found that the same can be said when a small amount of dill is added to things like salads, yogurt dressings, and soups.

Dill isn’t something you generally use in large quantities, but you usually have to buy it in bulk. If you’re like me and end up having too much of it in your fridge, here are 10 delicious recipes to use up the rest of your haul.

A slow cooker is a wonderful thing. Get it cooking early in the morning or just before bed and you’re in for a meal that feels like a lot of work, but really wasn’t. Put it to use for a party and you’ve got hot toddies for a crowd that will be just the right temperature all night long.

There’s only one problem: A slow cooker isn’t always known for being the best dressed. But wait! You have options. Your slow cooker doesn’t have to be a bulky hunk of machinery that’s all function and no form. Take a look at these beauties and see if we’ve convinced you.

P.S.: There’s no shame in wanting your slow cooker to look cute. After all, you might not use it all that much if it’s so ugly that you have to keep it hidden away most of the week. And if it’s gonna sit out on your counter (or on a buffet table) while it bubbles away for hours at a time, it may as well be something you enjoy looking at.

I would like to tell you that I made coconut cream pie because after 12 years of requests for it, I submerged my doubts over whether it was my “thing” and finally saw the light. Or that apparently this specific coconut cream pie created by Tom Douglas at Dahlia Bakery in Seattle is so well-known and loved, a previous president would ask for it by name. Or that I made it because I was delighted by the history of coconut in America outlined by Stella Parks in her Bravetart cookbook (which we are already way into), where she explains that the earliest packaged coconut you could get in the US, after the Civil War, was dry and chewy, and not very appealing unless you soaked it in something. That thing became cream for custard, because we have very good tastes. Or that in one of those food holidays I’m a bit dubious of but not above mentioning should the stars/cravings align, apparently May 8th is National Coconut Cream Pie Day, and we might as well begin preparing today.

None of these are true. I actually — in a veritable sad trombone after a build-up like the above — made coconut cream pie because I went so overboard buying coconut for a certain wedding cake I made last summer that I had quite a bit left to use up before its okay-let’s-be-honest-I-blinked-and-missed-it expiration date.